YouTube and Netflix are the top streaming video apps

YouTube and Netflix have the most US users among video streaming apps, according to App Annie. The report is based on data collected from July 2016 to July 2017, and provides rankings for US video streaming apps based on monthly active users (MAUs), time spent in-app, and revenue generated from the App Store and Google Play.

Here's a rundown of the top-line takeaways from the report:

YouTube and Netflix ranked first and second, respectively, in terms of MAUs. ESPN followed with the third most MAUs, although no specific numbers were provided. YouTube's leadership comes as no surprise, given the company has over 1 billion users, or nearly one-third of the world's internet users.

Users spent the most time on YouTube, with Netflix coming in second. YouTube's leadership on time spent in-app is likely due to the large variety of content available on its platform, and its mobile oriented user base — more than half of YouTube views come from mobile devices. Netflix's strong content offering — its series collectively received 91 Emmy nominations this year and 54 nominations in 2016 — is likely a strong contributing factor to its second-place ranking for time spent in-app.

Netflix generated the most revenue, followed by HBO Now. Netflix and HBO's leadership makes sense given their subscription based revenue models. Additionally, both companies have strong original content offerings like Stranger Things and Game of Thrones that appeal to viewers. However, HBO Now may have a while to go before surpassing Netflix in terms of app revenue — Netflix counts over 100 million subscribers, while HBO Now was reportedly nearing 3.5 million subscribers in July of this year.

Sports and news streaming apps are performing well. CNN News, Fox News, and NFL Mobile ranked fourth, seventh, and eighth, respectively in MAUs among other video streaming apps. The high rankings of these apps are indicative of how news content and live sports have no real substitutes. On the other hand, Twitch ranked 10th, which was the bottom of the video streaming apps measured.

Amazon Video also ranked high in MAUs and average monthly time spent in-app. Amazon-owned Twitch along with Amazon Video app also performed admirably in App Annie's rankings. Amazon Video ranked fifth in MAUs and ninth in average monthly time spent in-app, while Twitch ranked fourth in average monthly time spent in-app, which could be attributed to the number of new features the company has added this year.

To get the full report, subscribe to an All-Access pass to BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and more than 250 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally. » Learn More Now

You can also purchase and download the full report from our research store.